In a devout and ritual oriented way, this is how you must put in your CD-player "Antithesis Of Light" because we're talking about the best, probably, doom metal release of 2005 coming from a renowned band, Evoken.

And suddenly the horizon darkens, swallowing every single ray of light that tries to penetrate the gloomy clouds, hate and pain are the only emotions that reign supreme and everything starts decomposing. "Antithesis Of Light" is a rotten album, yes, rotten, filled with hate, pain and despise for everything pure. "Antithesis Of Light" is the dark esotericism that lies behind every twisted imagination and awaits for any moment to drown the listener in the depths of this fathomless imaginary world that becomes more and more vivid as the album flows slowly and in a torturing way.

The guitar riffs are slow and mourning, painting the soundscape with utter grey, a colour that blackens dangerously at times when the outbursts make the overall atmosphere more eerie and intense, while some solos that make their appearance harmonize beautifully with the overall atmosphere of the song. The keyboards and the FX make the overall feeling of the album more misty and nightmarish, evoking a lethargic yet menacing aesthetic, and the rhythm section is exceptionally imposing and creative, forming the ideal walls of sound that imprison the listener in a lair where his worst fears turn to life. The deep grunting vocals are just like they should be, unearthly, powerful and paranoid, adding their disharmonic darkness to the overall majesty of Evoken's latest masterpiece.

Concerning the production of "Antithesis Of Light"; it's very good, not the best when we talk about production generally, but it's for sure the best and most ideal for this album, making the overall atmosphere more gloomy and devout in a morbid way. The lyrics have a poetic approach, yet they might seem simplistic at times, but they are so expressive, so blackened with ravenous emotions, that they add a special sense to the songs of Evoken in the way they are being interpreted by John Paradiso!

"Antithesis Of Light" is one of those albums you must get to show that you really care about yourself, simply because compositions like the imposing "In Solitary Ruin", the nightmarish "Accursed Premonition", the powerfully lyrical "The Mournful Refusal", the utterly mourning "Pavor Nocturnus", the beautifully atmospheric "Antithesis Of Light" and the eerie "The Last Of Vitality" are not of those songs that a band composes every day.

So, concluding, if you find "Antithesis Of Light" in a music store don't do the mistake and pass it by, you will be missing a new doom metal diamond from a band that has still a lot to offer in the rotten world of doom/death metal, because it's not only mourning and sorrow, it's also hate, pain and disgust.

"And from the haunted arms of Morpheus,
We arise to a different despair…"

Death/doom? Okay, I've seen this album described as such on several other sites and forums. But IMO it is way more funeral doom than death/doom. Great album nonetheless.

Funeral Doom = ultra-slow doom, nothing more than that... it's a totally arbitrary "genre" that has no reason to exist... but well, it's my opinion and as usual no one will agree with me...

Well, in this case I think most people will agree with you and NOOT with me. Even www.doom-metal.com classifies them as death/doom. So it seems like I might be the only person on the face of this earth classifying them as funeral doom.

Death/doom? Okay, I've seen this album described as such on several other sites and forums. But IMO it is way more funeral doom than death/doom. Great album nonetheless.

Funeral Doom = ultra-slow doom, nothing more than that... it's a totally arbitrary "genre" that has no reason to exist... but well, it's my opinion and as usual no one will agree with me...

Well, in this case I think most people will agree with you and NOOT with me. Even www.doom-metal.com classifies them as death/doom. So it seems like I might be the only person on the face of this earth classifying them as funeral doom.

Well, seems like I didn't explain myself well... I think Evoken would qualify as Funeral Doom, but I don't think that should exist at all as a genre... Evoken are Death/Doom and.... also "funeral doom"... Nortt are Black/Doom and well, also Funeral Doom but because they are super-slow, not because they belong to a different genre, at all...

nd about doom-metal.com, couldn't take them seriously if they feature Cephalic Carnage in their list....

Death/doom? Okay, I've seen this album described as such on several other sites and forums. But IMO it is way more funeral doom than death/doom. Great album nonetheless.

Funeral Doom = ultra-slow doom, nothing more than that... it's a totally arbitrary "genre" that has no reason to exist... but well, it's my opinion and as usual no one will agree with me...

Well, in this case I think most people will agree with you and NOOT with me. Even www.doom-metal.com classifies them as death/doom. So it seems like I might be the only person on the face of this earth classifying them as funeral doom.

Well, seems like I didn't explain myself well... I think Evoken would qualify as Funeral Doom, but I don't think that should exist at all as a genre... Evoken are Death/Doom and.... also "funeral doom"... Nortt are Black/Doom and well, also Funeral Doom but because they are super-slow, not because they belong to a different genre, at all...

nd about doom-metal.com, couldn't take them seriously if they feature Cephalic Carnage in their list....

Well read the review for that Cephalic Carnage release and I heard that release and YES that release IS doom. But Cephalic Carnage aren't doom at all for their other relases.
But back to funral doom or not, what would yyou call Skepticism, Thergothon, Shape of Despair, Until Death Overtakes Me?

Death/doom? Okay, I've seen this album described as such on several other sites and forums. But IMO it is way more funeral doom than death/doom. Great album nonetheless.

Funeral Doom = ultra-slow doom, nothing more than that... it's a totally arbitrary "genre" that has no reason to exist... but well, it's my opinion and as usual no one will agree with me...

Well, in this case I think most people will agree with you and NOOT with me. Even www.doom-metal.com classifies them as death/doom. So it seems like I might be the only person on the face of this earth classifying them as funeral doom.

Well, seems like I didn't explain myself well... I think Evoken would qualify as Funeral Doom, but I don't think that should exist at all as a genre... Evoken are Death/Doom and.... also "funeral doom"... Nortt are Black/Doom and well, also Funeral Doom but because they are super-slow, not because they belong to a different genre, at all...

nd about doom-metal.com, couldn't take them seriously if they feature Cephalic Carnage in their list....

Well read the review for that Cephalic Carnage release and I heard that release and YES that release IS doom. But Cephalic Carnage aren't doom at all for their other relases.
But back to funral doom or not, what would yyou call Skepticism, Thergothon, Shape of Despair, Until Death Overtakes Me?

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

Southern Wind - 12.11.2006 at 00:41

now, seriously, let me counter-ask you what do you see so similar between Evoken and, let's say, UDOM to label them on the same sub-genre, besides the slowness??? and I don't consider slowness a strong enough criteria to write a new genre...

This CD just arrived. On the packaging it says "Third album from one of the purveyors of US death/doom metal, including a rare bonus track" followed up by ""Antithesis Of Light" is the dark esotericism that lies behind every twisted imagination... a new doom metal diamond" - MetalStorm